Method for Determining a Control Channel in a Trunked Radio Communications System

1. In a trunked radio communications system operating in the 800 MHz spectrum wherein the trunked radio communications system comprises at least one site, at least one control channel, at least one voice channel, and a plurality of receiving devices, a method for determining a control channel, the method comprising the steps of: at a receiving device in the trunked radio communications system: retrieving a first frequency, wherein the first frequency relates to a frequency in the 800 MHz spectrum; tuning to about the first frequency; tuning to about a second frequency wherein the second frequency is a channel separation from the first frequency, wherein the channel separation relates to a value of 12.5 kHz, if no control channel messages are decoded at the first frequency; and iteratively incrementing the second frequency by the channel separation, if no control channel messages are decoded at the second frequency until the second frequency reaches an end of band frequency for the trunked radio communications system, wherein the control channel messages are defined by Motorola's 3600-baud radio trunking protocol.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising stepping to a base frequency when the receiving device reaches the end of band frequency, if the first frequency is not the base frequency.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining a control channel is not found, if at least one of a) the receiving device reaches the end of band frequency and the first frequency is a base frequency and b) the receiving device reaches the first frequency after iteratively incrementing.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of detecting energy before decoding for control channel messages.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the receiving device is at least one of a subscriber, a subscriber unit, a radio, a mobile, a portable, a receiver, a scanner, and a scanner device.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the first frequency relates to a value of 851.0000 MHz.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the first frequency is stored in hexadecimal format.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the end of band frequency relates to a value of 869.9875 MHz.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein relates to further comprises performing mathematical operations to arrive at 12.5 kHz.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein control channel messages are detected for about 200 msecs before determining that a control channel is not found.

11. In a trunked radio communications system operating in the 800 MHz spectrum wherein the trunked radio communications system comprises at least one site, at least one control channel, at least one voice channel, and a plurality of receiving devices, a method for determining a control channel, the method comprising the steps of: at a receiving device in the trunked radio communications system: retrieving a base frequency relating to 851.0000 MHz; tuning to about the base frequency; tuning to about a second frequency wherein the second frequency is a channel separation from the base frequency, wherein the channel separation relates to a value of 12.5 kHz, if no control channel messages are decoded at the base frequency; and iteratively incrementing the second frequency by the channel separation, if no control channel messages are decoded at the second frequency until the second frequency reaches an end of band frequency for the trunked radio communications system, wherein the control channel messages are defined by Motorola's 3600-baud radio trunking protocol.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising determining a control channel is not found, if the receiving device reaches the end of band frequency.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the base frequency is stored in hexadecimal format.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein the end of band frequency relates to a value of 869.9875 MHz.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein mathematical operations may be performed on the channel separation to arrive at 12.5 kHz.

16. The method of claim 11 further comprising the step of detecting energy before decoding for control channel messages.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein energy is detected for about 10 msecs before determining whether energy is detected.

18. The method of claim 11 wherein the base frequency relating to 851.0000 MHz further comprises performing mathematical operations to arrive at 851.0000 MHz.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein relates to further comprises performing mathematical operations to arrive at 869.9875 MHz.